Empire Fulton Ferry

The Empire Fulton Ferry is a section of the Brooklyn Bridge Park on the Brooklyn side of the East River in New York City. In 1642, the first ferry landing opened on the site of the ferry, and a thriving trading economy turned the ferry into a small Dutch town known as "Het Veer". Het Veer grew throughout the 17th century, and, during the American Revolutionary War, George Washington's Continental Army used the ferry to escape to Manhattan following the Battle of Long Island in 1776. As the 18th century came to a close, additional ferry services were added to the waterfront community, and Robert Fulton created a steamboat ferry landing. The community grew alongside Brooklyn Heights, and brick warehouse development proliferated from the 1870s to the 1880s. In 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge opened to connect Brooklyn with Manhattan, and the bridge disrupted ferry traffic. The opening of the Manhattan Bridge in 1909 also harmed ferry traffic, and, throughout the 1950s, over 130 warehouses and 25 smaller "finger piers" were demolished along the waterfront. In 1924, the Fulton Ferry Landing was closed, and the construction of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in 1954 separated Brooklyn Heights from the waterfront. From 1956 to 1964, 13 new piers were built to accomodate larger ships. By 1970, however, much off the waterfront developments were largely barren and decrepit, and most of the warehouses were demolished by the end of the 20th century. In 2008, the site of the former ferry became a part of the new Brooklyn Bridge Park.